Web API Login with Cookie - asp.net

Question

I have an ASP.Net Web API and the documentation states I need to save an Auth Token to a cookie then pass it back for API requests. I can get the Auth Token without a problem. My question is what is the best way to save the cookie and send it back in the request.
I create a cookie in the RequestMessage, but I cannot find a way to send it back when making a request against the API. How do I preserve the state of the Login/cookie.
Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks.
Update
I am now able to obtain the cookie from the response. I am using this tutorial. http://www.asp.net/web-api/overview/working-with-http/http-cookies Let me point out if you want to use this tutorial make sure you update the Web API 4's code base. In the below method i am trying to simply, Login and Logout. However, I am receiving an Error Code 500.
public HttpWebResponse InitializeWebRequest()
{
//HttpResponseMessage logoutMessage = await Logout("bla");
string responseData = string.Empty;
string url = GetServerEndPoint();
string authToken = string.Empty;
string loginInstance = "https://example.com";
// Create request.
HttpWebRequest request = (HttpWebRequest)WebRequest.Create(loginInstance);
request.Method = "POST";
request.ContentType = "application/json";
request.CookieContainer = new CookieContainer();
HttpWebResponse response = (HttpWebResponse)request.GetResponseAsync().Result;
if (response.StatusCode == HttpStatusCode.OK)
{
using (System.IO.StreamReader responseReader = new System.IO.StreamReader(request.GetResponse().GetResponseStream()))
{
responseData = responseReader.ReadToEnd();
}
IList<string> authHeader = responseData.Split('{', '}').ToList();
authToken = authHeader[2].Substring(13, 25);
string sessionId = response.Headers.Get(8);
var nv = new NameValueCollection();
nv["sid"] = sessionId;
nv["token"] = authToken;
CookieHeaderValue cookieVal = new CookieHeaderValue("session", nv);
// Log out
string loginInstance2 = "https://example.com";
HttpWebRequest request2 = (HttpWebRequest)WebRequest.Create(loginInstance2);
request2.Method = "POST";
request2.ContentType = "application/json";
request2.Headers.Add(nv);
HttpWebResponse response2 = (HttpWebResponse)request2.GetResponseAsync().Result;
}
return response;
}

Answer 1

WOW WHAT A PAIN!
I have no idea why this took me so long to figure out, but after hours and hours and DAYs, of trying to get this stupid auth to work I finally figured it out. Here is the code.
One weird thing is I had to create the header format for the cookie. Which by definition isn't a true cookie, it is a damn header value. I had to create the header title, because when I extracted the JSON object from the file and converted it to string I was unable to keep the format in tact from the file.
public HttpWebResponse InitiliazeWebRequest()
{
string responseData = string.Empty;
string loginInstance = "url + logincreds";
HttpWebRequest request = (HttpWebRequest)WebRequest.Create(loginInstance);
request.Method = "POST";
request.ContentType = "application/json";
request.CookieContainer = new CookieContainer();
HttpWebResponse response = (HttpWebResponse)request.GetResponseAsync().Result;
if (response.StatusCode == HttpStatusCode.OK)
{
using (System.IO.StreamReader responseReader = new System.IO.StreamReader(request.GetResponse().GetResponseStream()))
{
responseData = responseReader.ReadToEnd();
}
var toke = response.Headers.Get("authToken");
JObject o = JObject.Parse(responseData);
_authToken = (string)o["response"]["authToken"].ToString();
return response;
}
return response;
}
public HttpWebResponse LogOut()
{
string responseData = string.Empty;
string loginInstance = "https://www.example.com/logout";
HttpWebRequest request = (HttpWebRequest)WebRequest.Create(loginInstance);
request.Method = "GET";
request.ContentType = "application/json";
request.Headers.Add("Cookie: authToken=" + _authToken);
HttpWebResponse response = (HttpWebResponse)request.GetResponseAsync().Result;
if (response.StatusCode == HttpStatusCode.OK)
{
using (System.IO.StreamReader responseReader = new System.IO.StreamReader(request.GetResponse().GetResponseStream()))
{
responseData = responseReader.ReadToEnd();
}
return response;
}
return response;
}